One ice fisherman pulled himself out of the frigid waters of Chatfield Reservoir on Thursday, and a second man was rescued by park rangers.

Two fisherman in the Kingfisher area of the park had ventured out onto the ice about 80 feet from the shore when the surface gave way and both men fell into the water, said Capt. Tim Woodward, dive team leader with the Littleton Fire Protection District.

One man was able to pull himself out of the water, but the second man could not, Woodward said.

The incident happened about noon.

A bystander grabbed a “life rescue ring,” placed by Chatfield State Park staff in various spots around the park, and attempted to rescue the man. The victim in the water also had an “ice awl,” a spiked piece of wood or plastic attached to a rope, and was trying to pull himself to safety.

A ranger went into the water, stabilized the situation, and the second victim was pulled to safety.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado State Patrol and Littleton Fire Rescue also responded to the park.

Both men, who were not identified, were taken to a local hospital to be treated for scrapes and bruises from the ice, and for exposure to the frigid water, Woodward said. They’re expected to fully recover.

There were no other injuries.

“The rangers did a great job,” Woodward said of the rescue.

Ice surfaces in the metro area and along the Front Range should always be looked at as potentially hazardous.

Kieran Nicholson covers breaking news for The Denver Post. He started at the Post in 1986, at the old building on 15th and California streets. Nicholson has covered a variety of beats including suburbs, courts, crime and general assignment.

More in News

Ford Motor Co. is going ahead with plans to move small-car production from the U.S. to Mexico despite President-elect Donald Trump’s recent threats to impose tariffs on companies that move work abroad.

Donald Trump’s administration, already seen as the wealthiest in modern history, is about to get even richer when Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s Gary Cohn is named the president-elect’s chief economic policy adviser.

Denver authorities have “red-tagged” the Rhinoceropolis artists’ space that was evacuated in frigid temperatures on Thursday night, citing a number of fire code violations and the fact that five people were living in a building that isn’t zoned for residents.